Hungarian star chef preparing for the final of Bocuse d’Or

No good news for those practicing with fish: chicken and a vegan menu have to be made at Bocuse d’Or this year, reports Origo.

“It is known for only a few days that no sea food will be included”- says Tamás Széll on the 14^th December in the kitchen of the Hungarian team. “The Sandinavians have been practicing them for a while, we have been perfecting the bressen chicken for months.”

Many pay attention to them from abroad too, as they go to the finals in Lyon on the 24-25^th January, as European Champions.

They still didn’t show what their main course will be like, they only gave a hint: no matter how tasty it is, they do not want to fascinate the jury with grill chicken.

“It is not what it is going to be in the main course, but it is included as an ingredient” – said Széll about the leek-parsley mousse blown onto the mushroom that were baked on charcoal. They still have more than a month to create the vegan dish:

“Even milk nor egg cannot be included”

– it seems like the French organisers would like to open to the reform kitchen-enthusiasts with this gesture.

“I am happy for the vegetable” – said Szabina Szulló, captain of the team. “It shows a tendency that

the organizers are also looking for new ways.

Just like the ingenious simplicity gather ground in the competition menus, they are looking for the possibility of making fresh choices concerning ingredients.”

What happens after the competition?

The Széll-Szulló pair has just left the Michelin-starred kitchen of Onyx, and will open their bistro kitchen called Stand 25 in a Downtown Market (Hold utca market), soon.

“We are also motivated by the simplicity and the attractive image of the Hungarian kitchen. We would definitely like to represent this in our own restaurant, if the whirl around Bocuse ends” – said Szabina.

“We are concentrating on the competition now. The time we could spend on relaxing is far away yet, but I am really looking forward to it – said Tamás. For now, we are perfecting the menu, paying attention to every detail.

I do not want to come home from Lyon with a flea in our ears. The goal is the top three.

I am not happy that we are competing on the first day, I find the second day more fortunate, but, at least, we are in the last, in the 12^th box.”

It could be seen at the European championship in Budapest that the Hungarian team got a lot of valuable points from the kitchen jury. “Not just the waste-management and clear work have been practiced, but movement, too. We can bravely call it choreography, because if I go right, I do not want to clash with Kevin – these little things are more important than you would think. There were things that we determined at the beginning of the preparation. There were some ideas that we got from rivals, but many tiny detail came during the months of work. We are maximalists, but that is the way to win, isn’t it?” – asked Tamás Széll the question.

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According to Frigyes Vomberg trainer: “My work is rather logistics. I no longer have to increase their creativity, it is not my job. I have a watch in my hand, pay attention to the temperature, I work on the structure of the job between Tamás and his commis, Kevin Szabó, to be perfect.”

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“I am still very young but I already learned and have seen a lot, thanks to Bocuse. It is a great opportunity to master the profession, but it also helps me to find my own style. It includes the Hungarian kitchen, and I believe it is worth showing that and working on it.

Everyone tries to copy the four-five star chefs of the world, but I do not think that to be the only good way.

I am trying to create my own style, and tradition is a part of that”- said Kevin Szabó to Origo.

“It is important for the jury to see the given country in the serving and the flavours. We are working to make the result of the Hungarian team’s work unique and characteristic – added Szabina Szulló. – When Bocuse ends and we open our own restaurant, we want to pay attention to this. Foreigners traveling here do not want to eat the same scallop what they eat anywhere else in the world.